


Roses are red, as is blood

by Lady_of_Rohan



Category: The Evil Within
Genre: Children, Literary References & Allusions, Roses, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 12:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4829330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Rohan/pseuds/Lady_of_Rohan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is nothing young Ruben cares for more in the world than his dear sister Laura.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roses are red, as is blood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jazzitup86](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzitup86/gifts).



> This is a little piece I wrote as a trade for my lovely friend Jazzie! She wanted some young Victoriano siblings enjoying better days. I think Ruben and Laura are so sad, and so beautiful, and I've been wanting to branch out a bit more and write other TEW characters. Although Joseb has a special place in my heart, I really do adore every single character. This was so fun! I tried to make it innocent and cute... but still with that classic Ruben creepiness. I hope it's okay! 
> 
> Jazzie drew a beautiful beat-up Joseph for me in return if you'd like to check it out!  
> http://jazitupart.tumblr.com/post/129012745195/for-the-lovely-lady-of-rohan-sorry-this-took-so

Ruben sat at his desk, the remains of another dissected animal laying with its pungent stench filling the stagnant air. Its entrails were exposed, and its brains spattered upon that wooden workspace. He reached for his handkerchief, wiping the gore from his hands, the white cloth soaked with crimson stains. Satisfied with his studies for the day, the boy sat back in his seat, a sigh escaping his pallid lips.  
  
Many thoughts churned within his active mind, but one pervaded, bringing a smile to his features. _Laura_... his dear sister Laura. What was she up to on this day? It was unusual for her to arrive late for her afternoon visit to his quarters. It was practically tradition for her to drag him away from his scientific pursuits for a time, and they'd go fetch lunch, or explore the outskirts of their estate. In return, he'd tell her everything he'd learned, and he need not spare the grim details of his knowledge, because Laura understood. She made no judgments, accepted him fully... and for this, she was precious to him.  
  
Today she had not arrived, the ticking grandfather clock in the corner of the room indicating that it was half past noon. Late indeed for something that was habitual.  
  
Opting to make a discovery of a different sort, Ruben rose from his seat, and navigated the familiar hallways of their historic household. The place smelled of must and and candle wax, but Ruben knew nothing else. This was his home.  
  
Arriving at the foyer, pausing at the grand staircase, the afternoon rays caused dust particles to float amidst sun beams as they pierced almost violently through the front windows. He was certain Laura must be in her quarters, until he heard a faint, melodic humming issuing from beyond the house's walls.  
  
Venturing out, the front entrance already opened just a crack, that haunting melody grew louder. Ruben recognized the tune, naturally... a lovely rendition of Clair de Lune. One of his favorite classical pieces.  
  
The garden was illuminated magnificently as Ruben walked with confident strides down the front steps and out into the awaiting daylight. His petite form cast elongated shadows that made his stature look far more intimidating than his ten-year-old self. Across the lush gardens that surrounded their estate, he saw his dear sister kneeling near the rose bushes. Laura was a heavenly sight, her long, black tresses catching sunlight with a radiant sheen... but nothing compared to her smile, which could light up even the darkest of recesses.  
  
"Ruben!" His name was a lilted melody, and she was his muse.  
  
Laura was immediately standing, her gardening all but forgotten as she ran to him. Ruben paused, unable to resist the fleeting smile that crept upon his features as she flung her arms around his heck, pulling him close to her chest. Her warmth was far more than any sunlight, her enthusiasm infectious. When she pulled away, after holding him for a few moments, her hands, white as porcelain, held him at arms length as she graced him with a smile.  
  
"And how were your studies today?" she asked, always sincerely eager to hear about his gruesome work.  
  
Though Ruben could have brushed it off, he prided himself on honesty.  
  
"You didn't show... so I came to check on you."  
  
"I'm sorry about that," she said, blue eyes apologetic in their crystalline depths. "I must have lost track of time. Come on! Let me show you _my_ work for the day..."  
  
Before he could protest, his stern facade soon breaking, Ruben was whisked away by the hand, towards the rose bushes that were in full bloom this time of year. Pausing before them, he noticed the pile of freshly-cut stems on the ground, near where Laura had been seated. Laura bent in a graceful flourish to pluck one from the ground, almost a curtsy as she held one to her nose and inhaled deeply.  
  
"A rose by any other name..." she began dreamily, and Ruben raised an eyebrow.  
  
"...would smell as sweet," he finished, "you were reading Shakespeare again?"  
  
"Why shouldn't I? He was a brilliant man." She twirled then, her navy blue skirt flowing in quite the feminine display. "Much like you."  
  
"I'm no Shakespeare," Ruben said, voice lowering. He dropped his gaze as she came to a stop. He was no romantic, his interests far more macabre. Like Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps. He'd leave the flowery sentiments to his sister.  
  
"No, but you're my Ruben," she said, her pale fingertips brushing along the stem of the rose, "and that's something far more brilliant."  
  
Had his skin not been so translucent, she might have seen him flush.  
  
"So," he said, now flustered, "what are the roses for?"  
  
"I thought your study could use something bright, and these are-- oh!"  
  
Her freckled features contorted into a frown, and Laura looked down at her hands, where she had been fiddling with the freshly-cut flower. Ruben followed her gaze, watching as blood flowed forth from her fingertip, dripping crimson down her slender hand from where the thorn had pricked her.  
  
Eyes wide, Ruben shook his head. Spilling the blood of animals was something that he was anesthetized to, but seeing his sister bleed filled him with a sense of anger that swelled in his chest and refused to abate. Laura, on the other hand, seemed relatively unfazed as her index finger was brought to her lips, as she sucked on the wound momentarily to get it to stop bleeding.  
  
Ruben stared, and then reached out once she was finished, taking her by the wrist and observing the small cut upon the pad of her finger.  
  
"You mustn't touch the roses any more," he scolded, his smaller hand holding hers. But he didn't treat her like a dismembered limb or a carved-up organ. No, she was untainted, pure... and even as her features rose with concern, the slightest crease upon her pallid brow, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.  
  
"Why not?" she asked, as he lightly caressed the smooth skin of her palm.  
  
"Because they've hurt you."  
  
"Everyone must hurt, Ruben, I'm--"  
  
"No. Not you," he cut her off, her hand still in his grasp. " _Never_ you."  
  
When she looked a bit wounded, from far more than a cut upon her finger, Ruben thought quickly to amend the situation. "If you desire red so much, then you should wear it instead. Would that please you?"  
  
"A red dress?" she ventured, already looking happier. "For me?"  
  
"Yes, like Juliet's. And when you visit my study, your beauty will surpass any flower's."  
  
"Oh, Ruben..." Laura squeezed his hand, her coy smile returning. "You're a romantic, after all."  
  
Ruben said nothing more, merely released her from his grasp, prepared to turn away, but she stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"Might I have a kiss before you go?"  
  
He knew precisely what she meant, as she extended a hand, fingers pointed downwards like a Victorian lady awaiting a suitor's blessing.  
  
"We should bandage that," he suggested clinically.  
  
"I think this will make it feel much better."  
  
Though he was a man of science, he had a way of being swept up by her whimsical ways. He took the hint, taking her hand again. Dipping into a slight bow, he hesitated before planting a kiss there delicately.  
  
"Better already," Laura said, the words ringing with her laughter. She returned the favor by moving in close, pressing her lips to his forehead in a chaste act of affection. Ruben couldn't help it as he found himself smiling again, a dreamy sensation washing over him. She always had a way of making him feel safe and warm.  
  
When his sister pulled away, the rose in her opposite hand was moved to be tucked neatly into Ruben's waistcoat.  
  
"I'll be up with lunch soon," she said, voice still airy. "Sorry to keep you waiting."  
  
Ruben nodded his understanding, already heading back towards the manor, the sunlight not seeming quite as bright after being in Laura's presence.  
  
After today, the next time she visited, he'd be certain that she was clothed in red... the hue of blood, roses, and his love for her.  
  



End file.
